Collecting school supplies for needy children is a fairly common service project. Traveling all the way to Mexico to deliver those supplies is a little less common. Students Connecting through International Service is a program that provides needed school supplies to Mexican students. It’s also a life-changing experience for students from Maple Grove and Arizona who personally deliver them.
Eleven years ago, Osseo Area Schools School Board member, Tammie Epley wanted to find a way to help students in other countries attend school. “My first thought was Africa,” says Epley. “But I discovered that it was cost prohibitive to ship the needed supplies over there. Then, while visiting my parents who live in Southern Arizona, I discovered that children just over the border in Mexico are not allowed to attend school without supplies. They have no access to a store that sells school suppliesfor 100 miles. So only 30 percent of kids in the city of Sasabe Sonora Mexico were attending school because they lacked adequate materials.”
Epley began organizing school supply drives in local elementary schools. She would take the collected supplies to Arizona and then deliver them to an elementary school principal in Sasabe Sonora. “I soon discovered that it’s much more efficient to collect funds and purchase the supplies in Arizona,” says Epley.
During four years, she began to consider the huge impact that connecting American donors with their Mexican recipients would have on both groups of children. That’s when she began a process of taking students with her to Mexico to deliver the school supplies. One fifth-grader from each participating elementary school gets the opportunity to take the trip.
Beginning each September, Epley speaks to students about the selection process. They must write an essay stating why they should be chosen. A panel of fourth- and fifth-grade teachers and staff reads the essays and chooses the best in a blind review. Epley says, “The selected students think it’s like winning the lottery.”
Then Epley meets with the selected fifth graders twice a month. She helps them spearhead fundraising efforts at their individual schools. She facilitates the establishment of pen-pal relationships with kids in Arizona who will serve as interpreters on their trip to Arizona and Mexico. Epley also takes the kids out for a Mexican meal sponsored by the Maple Grove Don Pablo’s Restaurant. “Many students have never eaten Mexican food before,” says Epley. “We work to prepare them for all aspects of the trip. They learn a lot about the world before we ever leave Minnesota.”
After the funds have been raised and the groundwork is laid, students, including Epley and a school principal, fly to Tucson, Ariz. They spend a day with their pen pals packing backpacks with school supplies. Extra monies go into a fund pool used to buy what teachers need most in any given year, including bookshelves, more than 400 books, teacher supplies, a copier, sports equipment, math supplies, art supplies, a microscope and chess sets with Spanish instructions.
Faithful financial partners of the program have been the Maple Grove Rotary, the Brooklyn Park Rotary, the Osseo Lions Club, the District 279 Foundation and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The Maple Grove Rotary told Epley they wanted to be more involved. Epley says, “I thought that meant a donation of 15-20 backpacks. They gave us 112 backpacks! What a huge help. Later, I wrote a list of additional things the Rotarians could do to help. Come with us to Mexico was the last item listed. Soon afterward, three Rotarians expressed an interest and traveled with us last spring.”
Maple Grove Rotarian, Judy Johnson, who traveled with the group, says, “During months of preparing to go, I watched these young people evolve from nervous children to confident student ambassadors and leaders. They were being empowered to change the world. They learned that miracles could happen through teamwork. Evidence is their record-breaking fundraising of over $10,000 which helped over 250 Mexican children attend school.”
During their trip, the Maple Grove students spend a day in Mexico playing games, eating, participating in a cultural exchange and delivering the school supplies. The next day, they host a few of the Mexican students during an outing to Arizona. “We let our Mexican guests choose a restaurant,” says Epley. “They always choose McDonald’s. For most, it’s their first time tasting a hamburger. Other firsts include elevators, drinking fountains, swimming pools and soft-serve ice-cream. That’s when our Maple Grove students discover all that we take for granted here in the U.S.”
“These student ambassadors will do great things with their lives,” adds Johnson. “I am happy to know these wonderful young leaders. They give me hope for a more peaceful world.”
